Category Archives: work

This week’s Dustinland comic is based on an event I’m speaking at later this week. See, while I do draw comics, they don’t pay the bills. I’m an ad guy – a creative director. Just like Don Draper, except without the money, women, clothes and alcoholism. And not too long ago, a friend and ex-coworker from my alma mater, Binghamton University, asked me to speak at an event for Binghamton University peeps in NYC Marketing. Just about my career path. So I said sure! And then they came out with a social media ad for the event titled AN EVENING WITH INDUSTRY TYCOONS. To make it even funnier, the other guy may in fact be a tycoon. I mean, I’m not sure what officially makes someone a tycoon, but the other speaker is an actual CEO. Well, I can promise you this: My presentation will definitely include more photos of people drinking 40s.

This week’s new Dustinland comic was inspired by some of the job interviews I went on last year, before landing my current gig. You know, not every interview is crazy and weird, but some are. Especially in the tech sector, which I am not really a part of, but I guess you could say peripherally, I am. But yes, I had some interviews that felt like a maze of trick questions as opposed to the “get to know each other” back and forth I’m used to. Times are changing, my friends! As the Googles and Amazons and Facebooks of the world get bigger and bigger, everyone else wants to emulate them, and weird interviews are part of their process.

This new Dustinland comic is my take on the first day of school posts that have been dominating my social media feeds lately. Shouldn’t need no explainin… but if you don’t get it, just Google “first day of school chalkboard.”

Well, my hand is healing, but this new Dustinland comic is still a bit sloppy. Also I just got back from Disney World, so I’ve been busy. So yes, this strip is not perfect, but it does exist, which I think is a plus. Also it really did happen, which is super weird and trippy.

More on Disney soon, but I really do need time to come up with something epic and David Foster Wallace-ian for such an experience.

I’m sure some people will get this week’s Dustinland comic wrong, even though I think it’s super obvious. So just in case, what I’m saying is that it’s silly for men to be against taking up traditionally female careers at a time when many traditionally male careers are drying up due to automation and technology and other issues. Of course I understand it, especially with older dudes, but still, come on. Jobs are nice because they pay money. That’s what it comes down to and that’s what it will always come down to in the end. Money.

This new Dustinland comic is not so much about my new book (which you can now buy here at Amazon!) but rather inspired by it. It’s about the thought process behind it, and the hopes, fears, dreams, and paranoia brought on from discussing it with people in the real world. So really it’s more about success, as an artist and as a human.

It’s a topic I’ve touched on before and probably will again, but I felt that this 20-year milestone was the right time to dive into it.

Also, I was inspired by my trip last night to the Society of Illustrators for a goodbye party for MAD Magazine, as they are moving from their classic NYC home out to the west coast to join the rest of their DC Comics companions/overlords. As an occasional contributor, it was an honor to be among great like Al Jaffee, Tom Bunk, Hermann Mejia and basically a huge room full of some of the world’s best cartoonists. I’d like to thank all the awesome MAD editors and staffers (especially Jonathan Bresman and Ryan Flanders), who were so kind to me over the years, and who brought me into this amazing family of talented artists and creators. It’s a bummer to see the gang split up and such a NY institution leave town, but hey, the times they are a changin.